Street-railway switch



(No Model.)

A MAGHALUP STREET RAILWAY SWITCH.

No. 458,790. Patented Sept. 1, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEFIcE.

ADOLPII MAOHALUP, OF LEIPSIC, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNEASSIGNMENTS, OF ONE-HALF TO LEOPOLD MAOHALUP AND CHRISTOPHER S. GEINER,BOTH OF TOLEDO, OIIIO.

STREET-RAILWAY SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 458,790, datedSeptember 1, 1891.

Application filed February 13, 1891- Serial No. 381,347. (N0 model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADOLPH IVIACHALUP, a subject of the Emperor ofGermany, residing at Leipsic, Kingdom of Saxony, Germany, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switches and Means forAutomatically Openingthe Same; and Idohereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to thefigures of reference marked thereon, which form part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to a railway-switch and means for automaticallyopening the same, and has especial reference to use uponstreet-railways.

The object of the invention is to construct a switch and operatingmechanism whereby the car may be conveniently switched to either of thediverging tracks.

A further object is to construct a switch and operating mechanismwhereby when the car is moved in either direction the operatingmechanism may be operated to open the switch.

A further object is to provide a switch and operating mechanism thatshall be inexpensive of construction and efficient in operation.

The invention consists in the parts and combination of parts hereinafterdescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side eleva tion of a car provided with myimproved operating mechanism. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a switclrrailconstructed in accordance with my invention, and especially adapted forcoaction with my improved operating mechan ism, one of the duplex leversand switchshoes being shown in operative position to open the switch.Fig. 3 is a detail view of a portion of the car-platform, showing alsothe switch-post and its connection with the bell* crank for operatingthe switclicontrollii1g mechanism.

As I have provided a switch-rail and connections of novel construction,and especially adapted to coact with a special form of operatin gmechanism, I will proceed to firstdesorihe the switch-rail and then theoperating mechanism.

1 designates a frog-section, to which is secured diverging tracks 2 and3, there being a switch-rail 4E, secured at the point of the frog bymeans of a spring-plate 5, secured in the point of the frog and the rearend of the switch-rail, respectively, preferably by being inserted inslots formed in each, the springplate being of sufficient tensilestrength to adjust the switch-rail int-o coincidence with theinclination of the frog-section after having been moved to either sideto switch the car onto track 2 or permit it to pass onto track 3.

In order to form a close joint between the frog-section and theswitch-rail, the point of the frog'is concaved to receive the roundedend of the switch-rail, thereby preventing any jar as the wheels passfrom one to the other.

6 designates a guard-rail extending from some distance in front of theswitch-rail to beyond the connection of the same with the frog, theguard-rail and rail 3 being recessed at 7, respectively, to allow theend of the switch-rail to move therein when moved to either side, therail 3 and guard 6 being separated at the point 7 asufficient distanceto allow the wheel-flange to pass when the switchrail is moved to oneside.

I will now describe the mechanism for operating the switch, it beingunderstood that the mechanism described may be put upon one side of thecar, orupon bothsides, if necessary. I will therefore describe themechanism as applied to one side of the car.

8 designates a lever journaled upon the car-axle, and having dependingarms 9 and 10, upon which are secured switch-shoes 11. In order toremovably secure the switch-shoes upon arms 9 and 10 to allow ofinterchange ability of the shoes, the ends of the arms are preferablyscrew-threaded and the perforations in the shoes interior-1yscrew-threaded, whereby the shoes are run upon the arms. Arms 9 and 10,respectively, are of a length to cause one of the same to contact withthe switch-lever when depressed by rocking the lever 8 upon the car-axlein the properdirection.

12 designates a bar running longitudinally of and beneath the car, andhaving secured at each end a bell-crank lever 13, journaled at the anglein a bracket 14:, the outer end 15 of each bell-crank lever projectingbelow and in parallel relation with the bar 12, and havin g pivotallysecured thereto a switch-post 16, which extends vertically through thecar-platform, and is provided with a coiled spring 17, secured upon theswitch-post, preferably by means of abutting against a collar 18, thelower end of the spring resting in a socketed journal-box 19, thetension of the spring being such as to raise the switch-postsufficiently to cause the arm 15 of the bell-crank lever to normally bein horizontal alignment with the bar 12, thereby causing lever 8 (whichis pivotally secured to the bar 12) to project vertically, and cause thearms 9 and 10 thereof to be out of contact with the rail or switchrail.

From the above description the operation will be apparent. Theswitch-rail normally projecting in the path of travel of thewheelflange, a car approaching the same and designed to be switched upontrack 3 is provided with a switch-shoe having the point of inclinationin a direction to pass beneath rail 3 and the point of the switch-railand urge the same into recess 7 in guard-rail 6, thereby allowing thecar to pass upon rail 3. Should the following car be designed to beswitched upon rail 2, arms 9 and 10 are provided with switch-shoes 11,having an inclination in inverse order to that just described, therebycausing the point of the shoe to enter between the switch-rail and theguard-rail 6, and urge the point of the shoe into the depressions 7 ofrail 3, causing the flange to contact with the switch-rail and move thecar upon rail 2.

Having described the operation and effect of projecting the switch-shoein the path of the switch-rail, I will now describe the means by whichthis result is effected. The driver or motor-man desiring to switch thecar upon the approach of the same toward the switch-rail, depresses theswitch-post 16, (the spiral springs 17 being compressed in theoperation,) thereby depressing the arms 15 of the bell-crank lever andcausing the arms at right angles thereto to draw the bar 12 toward thefront of the car, thereby depressing the front arm of thelever Ssufficiently to proj ect said arm to cause the same to contact with theswitch-rail. As soon as the car has responded to the action of theswitch-rail and moved upon the track desired the operator ceases hispressure upon the switch-post, allowing the spring 7 to expand and causethe parts to assume a normal position.

It will be observed that the mechanism just described for operating bar12 and lever Sis duplicated upon the car, whereby each end is providedwith a switch-post and bell-cranklever connection to allow the car to berun and operated in either direction, and also to prevent the rearwheels being switched off in case of a spring-actuated switch. Theswitchshoes 11 being detachably secured to the switch-arms 9 and 10,respectively, and oppositely inclined, are therefore interchangeable,as, for illustration, should the car be designed to be switched uponrail 3, the inclination of the front shoe would be such as to move theswitch-rail toward guard 6, the switch-shoe of the opposite lever beingcorrespondingly inclined. Should it, however, be desired to run the carupon rail 2, the shoes are removed and the rear shoes placed upon thefront arm, and that formerly upon the front arm secured upon the reararm, thereby operating to run the car upon rail 2. The removability ofthe shoe is also of great value when it is desired to substitute a newone for one worn out.

It will be seen that the switch connection with the diverging tracks isinexpensive of construction and positive of action, and that thecoactive mechanism can be readily attached to any car with but slightexpense.

What I claim is 1. The combination, with the front and rear rockinglevers provided with arms carrying switch-shoes, of the connecting-barand the lever or levers for operating said bar.

2. In combination with diverging rails,a connecting fro -section, aswitch-rail movably secured thereto by means of a spring-plate,a carmounted upon the track, provided with a lever having oppositely-inclinedswitch-arms adapted when rocked in either direction to operate theswitch-rail, and mechanism upon the car for operating the lever.

3. In combination with a spring-actuated switch-rail, a car providedwith a triangularshaped switch-lever and pivotally secured to thehorizontal bar below the car, bell-crank levers secured at each end ofthe bar and pivotally secured to the car, and a spring-actuated postadapted to be depressed and cause one of the angles of the lever tooperate the switch-rail.

4. A spring-actuated switch-rail, in combination with aoar havingjournaled upon each axle thereof alever provided withoppositelyincli-ned switch-arms, switch-shoes removabl y securedthereon, and mechanism arranged upon each end of the car for projectingthe switch-arm upon each axle to cause the same to contact with theswitch-rail irrespective of the direction of the travel of the car.

5. The combination, with a rocking lever provided with arms arrangedupon opposite sides of an axle, said arms carrying shoes at their lowerends, of levers connected with the rocking lever to operate the same.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I hereby aflix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

ADOLPH MACHALUP. Witnesses:

JULIUS MARGUER,

. CARL BORNGRAEBER.

ITO

